Race against time
by writerchick4life
Summary: Maxine Minniver and Dodger Savage are getting married and the couple couldn't be any happier. The happy festive mood is cut short when Maxine's violent ex Patrick escapes from jail and the bride to be is abducted!
1. Chapter 1

_Race against time_

_The wicked Patrick Blake escapes from prison just as his ex-fiancée Maxine Minniver and his son Dodger Savage are getting married. When the bride to be is kidnapped-Dodger and his family and friends race to save the missing young woman!_

** "Dodger…" Maxine said in a scared voice as she was tied up tightly in her beautiful white wedding dress. She was set to marry her new fiancée Dodger-weirdly the son of her ex Patrick Blake but since he was thrown in jail for battery, she had moved on with the gorgeous boat owner and had never been happier.**

** Dodger hurried over to his girlfriend and wrapped his arms tightly around the terrified woman. He had been going out of his mind, trying to find her since he discovered she was kidnapped! He was so glad he found her in an abandoned warehouse.  
"Oh my god. I'm so glad you're all right" Dodger said as he held her face in his hands, he was constantly worried about his poor fiancée and that really taken a toll on him.  
Maxine nodded quickly. "How did you find me here?" She asked out of breath.  
**

**Dodger found a small pair of scissors and began to cut up the super strong rope that were tied around her wrists and ankles to keep her from moving. "Mostly the police, but also Sienna and Dennis helped" He said.**

"**Dodger behind you!" Maxine cried out suddenly with sudden terror in her face.**

**Dodger quickly turned to what scared Maxine and came face to face with his own father-the man who had been abusing Maxine for a long time and was finally caught. But it looked like he was back. "Dad? I thought you were in jail…" He said.**

**Patrick, a tall man in his forties smirked deviously. "Well…you thought wrong Mark" He said in his cold voice. "I had to come back and claim what was rightfully mine..." He continued.**

**Dodger shook his head slowly. "No. Maxine and I are getting married, we love each other" He said.**

**Patrick then reached for a pistol in his pocket and adjusted it so it would be ready before pointing it at his son or former son. He was angry to learn Maxine had moved on with Dodger and now…he had to pay for taking his place as the man Maxine loved.**

** "Patrick please! Don't shoot him!" Maxine cried out in anguish, not wanting to lose her fiancée just when things were starting to look up for them after being through hell and back to be together.**

**The evil ex-headmaster then pointed the same gun at his ex-fiancee. Maxine should pay just as much for what had happened.**

**Maxine automatically froze in fear, not wanting to be hurt.**

"**No" Dodger said before lunging at his father, his hand on the gun to keep it from going off. The two men struggled over the pistol-both aware it was going to go off any second until BAM  
**

"**NO!" Maxine yelled…**

_Chapter 1_

_A few weeks earlier…_

Maxine stood in the kitchen of her boyfriend Dodger's boat making breakfast for the two of them. It was a beautiful sunny morning in Chester so she decided to open the blinds a bit. She decided on pancakes so she got some mix and eggs before beginning to whisk them together.

Dodger-a handsome young man in his mid-twenties suddenly came into the small kitchen and there she was-his beautiful Maxine making breakfast. He then then walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey you"

Maxine smiled as the feel of Dodger's arms around her. "Morning handsome, I was going to do breakfast in bed for you today" She said, kind of surprised he would be up this early but then again he probably woke at the smell of pancake batter.

Dodger smiled. "That would be nice Max, just you and me for a while before you head off to work" He said as he pulled away from his girlfriend and began to make some coffee.

Maxine still had her old job as an event planner and like always Dodger worked on his boat. Her job could be stressful at time dealing with clients' demands and that lot but it was well worth it at the end of the day just to come home to Dodger's handsome face. After all that she had been through with Patrick, she deserved to be happy and actually be in a relationship where she didn't have to walk on eggshells which was always what Maxine did when she with the older man. But Dodger-her Dodger to be exact was patient, understanding, sweet and accepted her flaws and all. Never did he once say she was fat, useless or a tart like Patrick always did.

"Sounds like a plan" Maxine said with a smile as she turned on the stove and began to make the pancakes by pouring the mix into a big circle on the pan before spraying it with cooking spray.

"Need any help?" Dodger asked as he stood at the stove next to her, silently marveling at her beauty. Maxine was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her big blue eyes made his heart pound in his chest, her smile made him weak in the knees and the feel of her soft skin against his made him dizzy with longing.

"No thanks babe, I got it" Maxine said before pecking his soft cheek and continued with her task, the sweet and buttery aroma of the mix filling up the kitchen.

Dennis, who was Dodger's cousin suddenly made his way into the kitchen and immediately smelled the delicious breakfast food. "Morning all" He said with a goofy smile. Dennis was always a jolly fellow with a big sense of humor and was quirky at times but loveable.

"Morning Dennis" Maxine said with a friendly smile as her boyfriend's cousin joined the couple. Dennis had become one of her closest friends and thanks to him and Dodger of course she was back to how she used to be-not some terrified woman always scared of making mistakes. On instinct, she leaned forward to Dodger and said softly to him- "I guess our for breakfast in bed are ruined".

Dodger smirked. "Don't you have to be somewhere Dennis?" he asked his cousin. The two men were as close as normal cousins could get but actually he was planning on having some Maxine time before work.

"Oh, you're right I do" Dennis said quickly before putting on his thick glasses and grabbing what he needed for the day before hurrying out the door.

Maxine laughed at the silliness of Dennis as she got out some plates for the pancakes. "He sure is a joy to be around" She said as she got out everything they would need.

"Yes but I know who's better?" Dodger said with a cheeky smirk as he wrapped his arms around Maxine like last time before Dennis came in.

Maxine giggled. "And who would that be?" She teased.

"Well...gorgeous event planners named Maxine Minniver" Dodger said as he began to kiss her neck which still had some of the feminine notes of her perfume left from the previous day. The scent drove him crazy and it had been for a while-since he first developed feelings for her and fell in love.

Maxine tried to keep her composure which was nearly impossible thanks to Dodger's kisses. He was so sweet and gentle, romantic with her but as she found out he could be quite fiery and passionate "Dodge...babe..."

"It's not my fault you look good in my shirts" Dodger protested. Maxine was in one of his plaid button downs and she looked so sexy in it, he couldn't help himself.

Maxine then turned to face her boyfriend before kissing him on his full lips, wanting to give Dodger what he wants so he would be happy. And if he was happy then she was as well.

Dodger brought Maxine closer to him-their bodies pressed together in intense passion; the threat of cold pancakes was so trivial and could wait. They had each other to take care of first. "Don't you have to get to work?" He asked against her lips.

"I do in fact or else I'm going to be late and my boss hates that" Maxine as she kept kissing Dodger.

"Well then you better get going" Dodger teased as he gently pulled away from her. He didn't want to stop and honestly wish playing hooky was an option.

Maxine gave him one last peck on the lips before disappearing into their bedroom. She found a trendy yet work appropriate blouse and skirt before doing her hair and makeup. As she in the middle of her grooming ritual, Dodger joined her and threw on a t-shirt.

Dodger couldn't help but have a nice long look at Maxine's curvy frame-the same one he wanted to touch and be close to for a long time during her relationship with Patrick. He then decided to push any reminder of his controlling monster of a father out of his mind and be happy he had Maxine with him now.

"How do I look?" Maxine asked as she did a turn for her boyfriend.

"Gorgeous as always" Dodger said honestly with an approving smile. He loved that tight black skirt on her-it showed off her nice, long tan legs but it wasn't outrageously short.

Maxine smiled before grabbing her bag and giving Dodger a kiss goodbye before leaving. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Of course. Have fun at work" Dodger said.

Maxine rolled her eyes jokingly. "Work and fun do not belong in the same sentence babe" she said over her shoulder before heading out the door.

Dodger sighed happily at good his life was going. He had his family or what was left of them since Will and Patrick were locked up, his mum Anna was dead thanks to his crazy brother and Liberty was working on her music career, he had his friends and Maxine as well. He had been through so much for his age-considering he was only 26 but all that pain had made him a better man.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far and there will be a lot more to come for Maxiger or whatever you want to call them lol. There will be a little bit of sexy time somewhere in this chapter but don't worry I won't make it too over the top. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 2.**_

Chapter 2

Dodger went inside the college coffee shop to have some coffee with his twin sister Sienna. The two have been through a lot of trials and tribulations including her mental breakdown and the revelation she had a baby at only 13 but still she was family and Dodger was very protective of the young woman.

'Hey Sienna' He said as he went up to the table where his twin was sitting at.

"Hey Mark" Sienna with a warm smile as she went up to hug her brother. He was always there for her through it all and for that she was extremely thankful. "How are you?" She asked.

'I'm doing pretty well, just taking care of the boat and all that lot" Dodger said as he sat across from his sister, wanting to catch up with her like family should.

"That's great and is Maxine's good too?" Sienna asked as she took a sip of her coffee beverage.

Dodger smiled at the mention of his girlfriend. 'Yeah, she's good as well" He was relieved to see Maxine back to normal now instead of how she used to be-bubbly, funny and happy.

'So what event is she planning these days?" Sienna asked.

"She's planning the ceremony of Ste Hay and John Paul McQueen" Dodger said, remembering what she told him about her newest work assignment.

Sienna smiled. "How romantic" She teased. 'So…do you think you and Maxine will be…you know getting married anytime?"

At Sienna's question, a light bulb went off in Dodger's mind-he would absolutely love to make Maxine his wife but only if they both were one hundred percent ready. "I'm not a big rush or anything but yeah that would be nice someday" He said.

"Yeah well, considering you two have been through a lot with…dad and everything" Sienna said.

Dodger nodded. "Well I'm thankful that monster is locked up for good and won't be allowed to hurt Maxine for a long time" He said seriously. He was shocked and mostly angry at the fact that the man who had helped brought him into the world was a woman beater-and to make matters worse the woman Dodger was in love with. He hasn't spoken to Patrick since he was thrown in jail and quite frankly didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

"So what else are you doing today?" Sienna continued before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Now that we mentioned marriage, I think I'm gonna go look for a ring" Dodger said, wondering what kind he should get her. 

"Well whatever you get Maxine, I'm sure she'll love it" Sienna said with a smile.

Dodger laughed. "I sure hope so".

Maxine was as busy as a bee making wedding preparations for the wedding of Ste and John Paul. Very much like herself and Dodger-the young restaratunter and teacher were happily in love. Currently Maxine was taking care of the floral arrangements since the couple wanted to have a small ceremony in a church.

Suddenly her boss Veronica, an older woman with shoulder length gray hair came up to Maxine. "Excuse Ms. Minniver-I ordered a large bouquet of roses for the ceremony last week and they're still not here" Veronica said in a very frustrated tone.

Maxine went through her notes. "Oh I am sorry Veronica but there was a delay in the order so they will be here later than we planned" She said.

"That cannot be possible-we're on a time table here. Call up that bloody floral company whoever they are and tell them to get on it" Veronica continued haughtily before storming off.

Maxine sighed as she got out her cell phone, smiling happily for a moment as she scrolled past a picture of her and Dodger together which was used as Dodger's caller ID image before finding the floral company and calling them.

"Yes, this is Maxine Minniver, the event planner who ordered a large bouquet of red roses last week. I know you told me that there will be a delivery delay but I'm on a strict schedule and would like to receive them soon" Maxine said into the phone.

The person on the other line told her to wait a moment and so she did, hoping Veronica wouldn't throw a fit considering Maxine was trying her hardest to make sure the wedding went off without a hitch. 'Okay, that'll be wonderful, bye" She said before hanging up with a smile. Now definitely her bum would be saved now that the flowers were taken care of.

When she found her high strung boss, Veronica was having a go at the caterer for forgetting an "important" meal course. She cleared her throat, hoping to get her boss's attention.

"What is it this time?" Veronica snapped at her young employee.

"I just recently called the florists and they deeply apologized for the inconvenience and said they would deliver the flowers in three days" Maxine said.

"Oh that is just great news, thanks Minniver, I knew I could count on you" Veronica said with a smile before walking away.

Maxine sighed happily as she went on making sure everything was running smoothly. But in the back of her mind she was thinking of her gorgeous boyfriend who she couldn't wait to get home to later.

Later that night, Maxine came home and found Dodger at the bar making drinks. "Hey gorgeous" She said with a smile as she put down her stuff and went over to kiss Dodger.

"Hey stranger, how was work?" Dodger asked as he handed Maxine a glass of wine.

"It was all right, had a bit of a delay with the flower arrangements but other than that everything went smoothly" Maxine said as she took a sip of the sweet alcoholic beverage.

"That's great babe. So now that work is over, I hope you have some plans for some us time" Dodger said with a smirk. He had been waiting to pick up where they left off that morning all day.

'I'll have to check my schedule" Maxine teased as she wrapped her arms around Dodger's neck with a smile.

'What are you playing at Miss Minniver?" Dodger asked in fake shock.

"I'm joking babe" Maxine said before kissing Dodger again for the second time in minutes. "Actually all I want to do now is be with you"

Dodger smiled. "Good answer" He said before intensifying the kiss and pressing his body to Maxine's.

Maxine giggled as she ran her hands through his dark hair, enjoying the moment and pushing work out of her thoughts for the rest of the night. She then began to lead Dodger as they walked to their bedroom while kissing at the same time, stopping against the wall.

Dodger's hands went down her sides, feeling the curves of her hips. "You are so beautiful right now" He said breathlessly after all that kissing.

Maxine didn't say anything back-she just reached for her boyfriend's top and pulled off-revealing his toned and tanned body before the offending clothing was tossed to the floor.

Dodger opened the bedroom door and quickly closed it before running his hands over Maxine's body as the kissing continued, this time leaving some on her neck.

Maxine sighed at the feel of Dodger's lips on her neck-it felt incredible and she didn't want him to stop just yet just as things were starting to kick off. She then took her top off and tossed it to the floor, now in her bra and skirt.

Dodger then quickly undid the annoying zipper of her skirt before removing it as well. "You look good in that skirt but it has to go sometime" He said.

Maxine brought Dodger to the bed and laid down, bringing on top of her. She took off her heels before waiting to see what Dodger would do next.

Dodger hovered over Maxine as he continued to kiss her neck while his hands were busy with her bare legs.

Maxine bit her lip as she relished the feeling of Dodger's hands on her bare skin. It felt so nice to be loved and cared for like she deserves instead of being treated like a human punching bag. But she didn't want to ruin the mood so she concentrated on the idea that Dodger was there with her. "Dodger…" She moaned.

"Hmmm" Dodger hummed against the fabric of her bra as he kissed her breasts. As a former ladies man Dodger had seen a lot of well-endowed lasses but Maxine recently had been taking the cake. Sure she was beautiful but he loved for her sweetness, her personality and the natural ability of making his day.

"Feels good" Maxine said breathlessly. She was honest when she said that-Dodger was very good at kissing her, touching her and making love with her. He was gentle and always put her needs first but also when she wanted him to-he could be quite the tiger.

Dodger didn't say anything back, he just kept going down her body until he got to the waistband of her panties. Soon enough they were in the throes of fiery passion, the rest of their clothes on the floor, their bodies intertwined.

Minutes later after they had both came down from their intense climaxes, Maxine laid blissfully in Dodger's arms with her head on his muscular chest. "Wow…" She said after a while of catching her breath.

'Yeah" Dodger agreed simply as he ran his hands through her wavy dark hair, feeling incredibly lucky for having this beautiful woman as his own.

'I love you Dodger Savage" Maxine said as she intertwined her hand with his, loving how nicely their hands felt together.

"I love you too Max, more than you'll ever know" Dodger said softly before kissing her sweetly.

Maxine smiled softly at her man-every time he said those three words to her she melted and loved him even more than she already did. "You make me so happy and safe" She continued.

"That's what I'm supposed to do" Dodger teased before suddenly remembering something. After his chat with Sienna in the coffee shop that morning, he decided what the heck and bought Maxine a ring. "I got something for you" He said before reaching over to his bedside table and found it.

"Wow what is it?" Maxine asked as she sat up in bed, wrapping the sheets around her body.

'Close your eyes" Dodger said. He wanted her to be surprised. Once he was sure her eyes were closed, he opened the box and slid the ring onto her finger. "Okay you can look now"

Maxine opened her eyes and there it was-the most gorgeous diamond ring she had ever seen! Even in the moonlight it shone and she automatically fell in love with it. "Oh my gosh, Dodger it's beautiful" She said.

Dodger smiled. "Maxine, I love you with all my heart and I have been for a long time. Will you marry me/" He asked.

Maxine nodded as happy tears suddenly formed in her eyes. "Yes of course I will babe"

Dodger smiled before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her passionately. That had honestly made him the happiest man alive and he couldn't wait for them to get married now that it was happening.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dodger and Maxine announced their engagement first to Darren, Dodger's best friend and his wife Nancy during lunch break at The Dog In Pond. And of course the couple couldn't be any happier. Dodger had been in a happy mood the entire day since he popped the question the night before and so was Maxine.

"Wow, that ring is beautiful Maxine" Nancy, a petite brunette complimented as she looked at the piece of jewelry on Maxine's right hand.

"Thanks Nancy, it bet it cost Dodge a fortune didn't it?" Maxine said as she teased her now fiancée. _Fiancée-_that had a special meaning to it. Maybe it was a girl thing but she could already picture herself in a stunning white gown and a beautiful ceremony.

Dodger laughed with his mates. "Not really babe" He said as he wrapped an arm around her, bringing her closer.

"Well I certainly think it's about time you popped the question mate" Darren joked as he had his son Oscar in his lap. The baby boy was playing with one of his toys.

"Oy you" Dodger said before all four laughed.

"So are you two going to have a big or small wedding?" Nancy asked.

Dodger thought for a moment and given both had very small families and few friends-they decided small would be best. "I think small, I mean we don't know that many people to have a gigantic shindig anyway"

"I agree" Maxine said. "I'm gonna ask Mitzeee if she can be my maid of honor" She said mentioning her sister who was currently in the states with her son Phoenix.

"That'll be nice" Dodger said with a smile.

"It was great meeting with you all but I have to get back to work" Maxine said as she quickly grabbed her bag and kissed Dodger on the cheek.

"See you later" Dodger said to his fiancée as he returned the kiss.

Maxine smiled before heading out the front door.

Dodger looked at his fiancée as she left the pub-so incredibly happy that she was now finally going to be his misses.

Darren smiled at how much in love Maxine and his mate were. It had been awhile since Dodger was that happy. "You know mate, I haven't seen you that in love since Texas"

Dodger smiled softly at the memory of his first real girlfriend Texas Longford. She was beautiful, sweet and best of all she was his. However it also brought back painful memories of how sadly and tragically she was taken from him and the world. "Yeah"

"I have to get going too, Oscar has a baby class today" Nancy said before placing the baby into his stroller and getting his baby bag ready. "See bye to daddy" she said in a motherly voice.

'Bye da-da" Oscar said with an innocent smile.

Dodger and Darren laughed softly at the little boy's cuteness. "Later little mate" Darren said before standing up and giving both his wife and son a kiss. Once the two were gone, he rejoined his friend.

"So mate, any ideas on stag night?" Darren asked.

"Oh, I don't know…maybe have a few beers and laughs" Dodger said.

"Oh come on mate, I was expecting something wild and party like hiring strippers or something of that lot" Darren teased.

'Uh…strippers? I don't think Max would like that very much mate and besides I'm a changed man" Dodger said.

Darren laughed. "And who would have thought it would be you ay?" He teased.

"Well now that I have the woman I love a lot, getting wild isn't exactly much fun anymore" Dodger stated. "How about a sports bar or something tame?"

Darren shrugged, somewhat giving in to his mate. "Whatever you say but I still think we should keep some tradition"

"I don't know mate, I'll have to think about it" Dodger said as he took a sip of his drink.

"I mean I'm sure whoever's in charge of Maxine's hen night would want male strippers there" Darren said with a cheeky smirk.

Dodger frowned at the idea of fit men in super skimpy knickers flexing their man muscles for his soon to be wife…not that he was a jealous type but still the idea made him a little awkward.

"Tell you what, I'll give you a day or two to think about ir or else I'm going to plan" Darren said before getting up and paying for their drinks.

"Yeah I bet you will" Dodger said as the two men left the pub and stepped into the bright sunshine of Chester-another beautiful day. "So I have tons of stuff to take care of on the boat so do you mind swinging by and helping me?" He asked as they got into Dodger's van.

"Sure mate" Darren said as the men headed to where Dodger's boat was.

Meanwhile at work Maxine was in a good mood and working her bum off. She was so happy she was finally going to get married to Dodger and since things with Patrick didn't exactly work she hoped she and Dodger would last. Apparently Ronnie, her boss had witness her good mood and went up to her.

"Well well someone's obviously in a cheerful mood this afternoon" The older woman said with a clipboard full of notes in hand.

"I recently got engaged so that's possibly why" Maxine said with a small laugh as she continued with her task.

"Oh really? Who's the lucky bloke?" Ronnie asked conversationally.

Maxine pulled out her phone and showed her boss a picture of Dodger by himself smiling that smile that made her giddy.

"He's pretty fit that's for sure" Ronnie said after looking at the picture.

"Yeah, he's gorgeous and he's very good to me as well" Maxine said.

"I'll have to meet him someday, does he have a name?" Ronnie asked.

"His name is Mark but he mostly goes by Dodger-that's his nickname" Maxine said. She rarely ever called Dodger _Mark-_however Sienna and Patrick had called him that often. "So how's the catering menu going?"

Ronnie laughed. "Well Mr. Hay wants caser salad with the works as the salad course and Mr. McQueen asked for rotisserie chicken with spices as the main dish"

"Sounds like a big feast" Maxine said. "So I'm guessing they got everything taken care of?" She asked.

"Oh absolutely dear, with me on their bums they sure did" Ronnie said before heading back to work.

Maxine went back to work as well but silently in her mind going over every single small detail of her dream wedding. Small and intimate with loved ones all around, Mitzeee as her maid of honor and she considering making Nancy one of her bridesmaids. And of course waiting at the altar for her would be her Dodger-looking fit in a suit. Of course her fella was always fit but that occasion would be super special.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

On a cloudy Saturday morning-thank goodness the weekend was finally here which meant the day off. Maxine rolled over onto her opposite side, now facing Dodger. The warmth of his skin was so calming and relaxing,

"Morning handsome" Maxine said sleepily before yawning after the few hours of sleep she got after another wonderful love making session with her man.

"Morning" Dodger said softly as he reached out and brushed some hair off her face. "Sleep well?"

"I slept great, thanks to you" Maxine teased with a soft smile as she rested her hand on his chest.

Dodger kissed her forehead. "Have work today?" He asked.

"I don't believe so, which is great because now I get to spend some time with my amazing fiancée" Maxine said as she began to trace shapes on Dodger's abs.

"Which is good because we have some wedding details to go over" dodger teased.

Maxine snuggled closer to Dodger. "Yeah, like who we're going to invite for starters'

"Yeah well of course I'm gong to invite Dirk and Dennis…Darren will be my best man" Dodger said, remembering everyone he wanted there on his side.

"I'm inviting my sister and I was thinking of making Nancy one of my bridesmaids" Maxine said.

Dodger suddenly thought of something. "I wonder if I should invite Sienna, I mean I know she and Nancy have lots of bad blood between them but she is my sister after all'

Maxine reclined on one side facing her fiancée. 'I don't think Nancy would like it too much but yeah I agree, Sienna is part of your family" She told him softly.

Dodger smiled. "How did I get so lucky?" He asked.

Maxine shrugged her slender shoulders. "I don't know babe, maybe our stars are aligned" she teased before kissing him.

Dodger smiled before returning the kiss. 'I sure hope things stay that way" He said as he laid back with Maxine, running his hands through her hair. "We've been through a lot and now I just want to be happy with you for the rest of my life" Little did the young couple know or even realize, fate was about to take them on a very different path.

Meanwhile at the local Chester prison, a uniformed guard was standing in front of the last cell on the right side of the long dark hallway with the radio in his hand.

"Escaped prisoner in cell #40, it's urgent" He reported.

He had went by the cell for the usual routine cell check and of course the cell was empty and the inmate was nowhere to be seen! To make matters worse the double bunk bed was dragged to the lone window which was suspiciously open.

Not long after radioing in, one of the officers, Sam Lomax headed to the scene and astounded at what happened. "Looks like we have a runner

"Apparently he used the bunk bed to climb out of the window" The officer said, taking note of the cell's appearance.

The other officer handed Sam a clipboard of information and after a minute of reading she sighed. "Escaped prisoner is Patrick Blake, arrested for assault and battery' she professionally stated. Sam was now concerned for his family since he was proven to be very dangerous.

"Put out wanted posters and send out squad cars as soon as possible" Sam continued before walking away.

"Yes ma'am" The officer said before getting on to what his boss told him to do, sending out alerts and all that lot. Since Patrick was a very dangerous and volatile man, the safety of the village and his loved ones were critical.

At the same time, a tall and slender middle aged man made his secret escape when the coast was clear, he had thought he pulled it off without a hitch. That was always one of his flaws-thinking he was smarter than everyone else. He had spent months locked up in that hell hole with daft food, prison fights, no electricity, no phone privileges and worst of all he missed his fiancée.

_I'm going to get through this and get Maxine back, I am Patrick Blake-I am invincible and no one will get in my way now. _The thing is, he used to have such a swell life-headmaster of Hollyoaks High-even though it was hard dealing with mouthy teenagers it was work after all, a posh flat and of course he had the woman he loved.

He remembered him dragged away from his Maxine by the coppers and shoved into a squad car like it happened yesterday. He could remember the looks of shock and anger on everyone's face-Dennis, dirk, Sienna-his little girl. But the one thing that hurt him worse than having his reputation in the village tarnished-was Maxine, his fiancée in the arms of his son Mark just before he was taken to the jail. She was sobbing and his dear son was comforting her with his brawny arms.

As far as Patrick knew, the lad was no longer his son after all that he had to him and Maxine. Having that one night stand with her, getting her pregnant and as a result Max has an abortion. Sure he had to admit he did put his hands on her but it was for her own good. Patrick should have known she wasn't going to be immune to Mark's chiseled face, that smile that make any lass mental…just the thought of it made Patrick want to hit the roof!

That evening, Dodger poured him and Maxine some wine and handed her a flute of the alcoholic beverage. They decided to take it easy for the night and simply order takeaway and spend the evening in each other's company.

"To us and the future" Maxine said with a smile.

"To the future" Dodger toasted back before they clinked their wine glasses together. Maxine rested her head on Dodger's shoulder, enjoying the moment.

"Well since we are going to have a small ceremony, I suppose a wedding planner is out of the question" dodger teased.

"Oh yeah definitely" Maxine said without hesitation before the couple laughed together. "How does Vegas sound for the wedding?" She suggested.

"Perfect enough for a small ceremony with just those we love" Dodger agreed as she brought Maxine closer to him-her warmth and the softness and scent of her skin making him blissful.

"Remember when you first kissed me?" Maxine asked, suddenly remembering.

Dodger softly laughed. "Yeah you pushed me away after what a like a minute or so?" He teased.

Maxine nodded. At that time she was with Patrick and was kind of taken back that he had fallen for her. "Thankfully I've wised up" She said.

"Yes you have and you're not getting rid of me that quick" Dodger teased.

Maxine looked down at the beautiful ring he gave and smiled. "You know after all we have been through together, it's made our love stronger"

Dodger nodded. "I think so too" He said before leaning in for a kiss.

Maxine returned the kiss, relishing the feeling of his lips on hers. She then softly deepened the kiss as she straddled him and placed her hand on his chest before continuing where she left off.

Dodger's hands were on her sides, enjoying the simple and romantic with his girl. After all both had been through with Patrick and fighting their feelings-it was nice to be together. "Bedroom now" He said as their lips were still busy.

"Where's everyone else?" Maxine asked breathlessly.

"Dennis is with Blessing and Dirk is with Cindy and Holly" Dodger said.

Maxine smiled before getting off Dodger and taking him by the hand to their room.

"Wait, I have a better idea" Dodger teased as he picked up Maxine and threw her over his shoulder.

Maxine burst out laughing as they headed to the bedroom together, slapping him on the bum along the way.

"Oy" Dodger said as the couple laughed.

Outside, Patrick stood solemnly without saying a word or moving a muscle. He couldn't believe that they were together now! All those old feelings of jealousy and resentment were back and Patrick wanted revenge!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dodger suddenly woke up at the sound of Maxine screaming. It didn't sound like a happy or excited scream-more like a terrified scream. He hurried out of bed and outside where his fiancée was outside, shaking with fear.

"Max, hey, what's wrong babe?" dodger asked as he took the scared girl in his arms, running his hands through her hair.

"He's….he's back…" Maxine said through her tears and gasps of air.

"Who's back?" Dodger asked before looking around to see what got his fiancée into a trembling mess. And there it was on the side of the boat in big letters: **REMEMBER ME? **Dodger then felt a sick feeling go through his bones-only two people could have done that-Will or Patrick. He held Maxine tighter as her tears calmed down slightly.

"It's alright Max, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you I promise" He said soothingly as the seriousness of the situation set in. It couldn't have been his brother because he was paralyzed so there was only one option left-his father. Dodger silently swore to go after him and kick his head in for what he done. He was tempted to do when he found out the truth about him and Maxine.

Just then Dirk and Dennis came outside to see what the scream was about. "What is going on out here?" Dirk asked.

"Someone wrote that awful message on the side of the boat" Dodger explained to the man who was more of a father to him than Patrick ever was. Dirk was gentle, kind, understanding and overall a sweet man.

Dirk went on the side of the boat to investigate and like his son said, there it was. He sighed madly as he shook his head and went over to the three young adults.

"Are you alright love?" He asked Maxine who had stopped crying but was still scared to death.

Maxine slowly nodded. "I suppose so, yes" She said softly.

"Who do you think might have done it?" Dennis asked as they all headed inside the boat to calm down for a while.

Everyone was silent for a minute before Maxine suddenly remembered all the crap she had endured at the hands of Patrick.

"Patrick, it has to be him…" Maxine as she fidgeted with her engagement ring.

Dirk and Dennis had scared looks on their faces while Dodger wrapped an arm around his fiancée.

"Oh my god…you're not saying he-"Dirk began to say before he could began to form the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Maxine shook her head, refusing to believe that he was let out on parole or even had the guts to escape. "No…" She said softly. "What does he think he's playing at? Coming after us after all that he has done?" Maxine asked.

Dodger sighed frustrated. "That's what I would like to know" He said.

"I think we should call the police" Dennis suggested, breaking the odd silence. He wanted his family to be safe, including Maxine. He then got up from his seat and went to make the call to the coppers.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After the whole message on the side of the boat incident and calling the police, Dodger made it his priority to keep his fiancée safe after all she had been through. Both had hope and faith that the police would find Patrick and catch him before things got too out of hand. Dodger remembers him, Maxine, Dirk and Dennis being shocked when Sam told them he escaped from prison.

"W_hat do you mean he escaped? I could've sworn he was in a maximum security cell" Dodger said as he sat on the sofa next to Maxine._

'_I'm very sorry to upset you and your family Mr. Savage but we are afraid that was what happened" Sam said, trying to calm the frustrated young man._

_Maxine who had been looking down at her stilettos suddenly found the voice and courage to speak up. "When did this happen?" she asked softly._

"_Saturday morning around eleven o'clock. One of our guards went to do his usual cell check and that was when he discovered Mr. Blake missing" Sam continued._

_Dennis placed a calming hand on Maxine's shoulder as once again the nightmare was happening. Just when she thought she was finally free from the evil ex-headmaster-he had to come back and ruin her happy mindset._

_Dodger ran his hands through his hair as he paced the living room. "This is just great. My dad is a very dangerous man and I want him found and back where he belongs before he hurts my fiancée" He said frustrated, his thick accent becoming more noticeable._

_Maxine gently reached for one of Dodger's masculine, tan hands-not wanting him to get all worked up over Patrick since they still had their wedding to think about. _

_Dodger looked into Maxine's blue eyes and saw fear but also determination that she wasn't going to let her ex hurt her._

"_We're doing everything we can Mr. Savage-wanted posters and squad cars looking for a sign of him in the village" Sam continued. The older blonde woman then turned her attentions to Maxine and attempted to give her a little bit of hope._

"_I know this is very hard for you Miss Minniver but you survived all that has happened before and you have a wonderful fella to protect you" She said._

_Maxine nodded. "Yes I do" She said softly as she cast a loving look at Dodger. "Thanks Mrs. Lomax" _

"_And I'll keep you both informed if there's any new developments" Sam professionally said before leaving the boat with a fellow officer…_

A day or two after that, Dodger still couldn't help but think of the dangerous situation his fiancée was in as he stood in front of a punching bag hitting it. His old man was dangerous and ruthless when angered-like he didn't know that already. But still there was no way in hell he was going to let Patrick come after Maxine.

Imaging that punching bag was his dad proved to be an ace workout for Dodger because he was starting to breathe heavily and also sweat a little. For a good measure, he did one bigger blow before leaning against the swinging back, getting his energy back.

At the same moment Maxine emerged from their bedroom all ready for work. She had to admit the sight of Dodger after a good workout was quite hot. "Hey babe" She said before going over to kiss him.

"Oy, I don't want to get you all icky" Dodger teased, he was still sweaty from his boxing.

"Oh I forgot" Maxine teased as she handed him a towel that was laying around randomly.

"Thanks" Dodger said before patting himself with the towel. "So what else are you doing today?" He said.

"Well I'm going to go look for some wedding invitations" Maxine said with a smile. "I know we're not inviting a lot of people but still it's a big tradition"

Dodger smiled as he finished drying off. "So I'll see you later?" He asked before kissing his fiancée.

"Yup, love you" Maxine said with a smile.

"Love you more" Dodger teased with a smile as she closed the door behind her. Dodger could feel his bad mood start to slowly but slowly go away. He and Maxine have been through so much together and now it was going to be their turn.

_There will be LOTS more drama to come in this story ;) Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. _


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Are you sure you want to have our wedding in Vegas?" Maxine asked Dodger during lunch time at the pub. They haven't really thought of anywhere else to have the ceremony and since a big celebration wasn't very popular in Sin City-Dodger called dibs on it.

"Sure, but if you want to have it somewhere else I'd understand" Dodger said as he sat next to her doing a final look through of the invites. "And that way Mitzeee can come without worrying about how much the flight will cost"

Maxine smiled. "You are so good to me" She teased before kissing him quickly.

"Yeah well I try" Dodger said with a cheeky smile before wrapping an arm around Maxine bringing the girl closer.

Darren and Nancy approached their friends and like always with Oscar in tow. "So Dodger, I hear you're having a Vegas wedding?" Nancy asked as she sat down in the chair of Oscar's stroller.

"Yeah, both me and Maxine have agreed on Vegas. That way Mitzeee doesn't have to fly all the way across the world" Dodger said as he took a sip of his drink.

At the mention of the city, Darren had a feeling of uneasiness. He knew exactly what went on in Las Vegas and he didn't want to ruin everything with Nancy again just when they were finally rebuilding their lives.

"That's nice and all Dodge but you're sort of forgetting one big detail" Nancy said as she had her son in her lap.

Dodger suddenly felt like an idiot-he wanted to have the wedding in Las Vegas and he momentarily forgot that his mate used to have a gambling addiction. "Oh I am sorry mate, I didn't think"

"It's ok Dodger, I'm pretty sure I can still go and not, you know, gamble" Darren said, hating to bring that matter up around his loved ones but as a recovering addict he had to accept that he would always have to be cautious.

Maxine decided to break up the somber mood. "Right, so here are yours and Nancy's invitations" She said before handing the cards to the other couple.

"Thanks Maxine" Nancy said with a smile. "I like the intertwined hearts detail"

"I wanted to pick out something romantic and to go with the occasion" Maxine said. 'Oh and by the way, how would you like to be one of my bridesmaids Nancy?"

"Really? I'd love to" Nancy said before going over to hug her friend. "Thanks"

"Who else is invited mate?" Darren asked as it was his turn holding Oscar.

"You, Nancy, Mitzeee, Dirk, Dennis, Blessing, Sienna" Dodger said, naming everyone close to him and Maxine.

"Sienna's coming?" Nancy asked with a serious expression on her face, apparently her excitement of being a bridesmaid has faded.

"She's my twin sister Nance" Dodger said, feeling bad that the two women did not get along but Sienna was his flesh and blood and it just would be wrong to not invite your own sibling to your wedding.

A moment of silence passed. "I don't know if I can still come Maxine, I'm so sorry" Nancy said impulsively before getting Oscar's things ready. "Come on darling" She said to the baby.

Maxine was stunned. "Wait, Nance" she began to say. But the brunette had already left the pub.

The two men sat in silence. "I'm sorry mate" Dodger said to Darren.

"Don't apologize, she is your sister after all" Darren said. "I'm going to go catch up with Nancy, I'll talk to you later" the other man said before standing up and heading out the door.

Once Darren had left, Maxine sat next to her fiancée, wanting to comfort him in any way she could. "Don't feel guilty about inviting Sienna babe, she's family" Maxine said softly.

"I know but Nancy is a good friend of yours and mine and…I also have to think about her feelings as well" Dodger said.

Maxine gently touched Dodger's face. "Hey everything's going to be fine believe me" She said looking into his eyes.

Dodger smiled. "I can't wait to marry you" He said.

'Me neither" Maxine said before quickly kissing him. '"I've got to go now, Veronica's waiting for me" She said.

"Oh right, don't want to upset Ronnie" Dodger teased as she mentioned his fiancée's boss.

Maxine smiled before leaving the pub, her heels clicking against the floor.

Dodger stood and decided to pay for everyone's drinks. He then came face to face with Sienna.

"Oh, I didn't see you Sienna" Dodger said to his twin who had a sad look in her eyes.

"Nancy's right Mark, I shouldn't come" sienna said emotionlessly.

"That's rubbish, you're my sister of course you're coming" Dodger insisted.

"I don't want to ruin your special day" Sienna said with a sad smile before walking away.

Dodger sighed as he watched his sister leave the pub. He wanted to make Nancy feel comfortable but…he also didn't want to hurt Sienna. Now he was conflicted on what to do?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Later that night after a long day at work, Maxine was heading home alone on the quiet streets of Chester. She knew it wasn't the best idea but she didn't have far to walk from where she was at the moment to the Savage's boat. Little did she know, there was someone lurking the darkness slowly watching her walk home.

Maxine could half sworn she heard footsteps behind her-it couldn't be possible she was just hearing things. She felt a chill go through her spine as she tried to see who was following her.

"Hello?" She asked. The streets were quiet and didn't have much going on that night so it was kind of creepy given she was alone. Maybe from now she should ask Dodger to pick her up from work. Once she was sure a masked thug wasn't going to come out and stuff her into a van, Maxine continued walking.

The mystery steps kept on and on as she continued walking.

Maxine started to pick her pace, hoping whoever the creep was to take the hint and leave her alone. Her high heels making noises against the pavement with every movement. As she kept on with her journey, Maxine could feel her heart start to pound.

Suddenly her phone rang and she was relieved it was Dodger calling her.

"Hey you" Maxine said with a smile into the phone as she decided to just let it go for now and get herself home so she would be safe in her fiancée's arms.

"Hey, almost home?" Dodger asked in a teasing tone of voice.

Maxine giggled. "Almost, don't worry" She said.

The mystery person was now hiding behind a brick wall, trying not to make sure he or she wouldn't get caught.

"Good because there is a slice of Italian sausage pizza with your name on it" Dodger continued.

"In that case, I can't wait" Maxine teased. "See you soon, I love you" She said before hanging up and sighing blissfully. All of a sudden she felt a gloved hand over her mouth.

Maxine began to struggle against her mystery attacker before elbowing him, making the attacker double over. When he tried to grab her again, she took off one of her heels and hit him in the head with all of her might. She couldn't explain how but Maxine finally got this urge to protect herself and fight back.

She looked down on the ground where her attacker was, hoping he wouldn't attack her again before she began running home. Her heart pounding even faster and fear and terror going through her. When she finally saw the porch light of the boat, Maxine hurried inside and slammed the door behind her.

Dodger heard the door slam and hurried to the living room and saw Maxine sitting against the door with a terrified look in her eyes, breathing heavily and crying. He took her in his arms, trying to soothe her.

"What happened?" He asked as he rubbed her lower back in soothing circles.

Maxine rested her head on Dodger's shoulder, trying to settle down so she could talk. "Someone was following me" she said softly.

"Did you see who it was?" Dodger asked, touching her cheek to wipe away her tears.

Maxine shook her head quickly. 'No, he was wearing a mask" She continued.

Dodger sighed before helping her stand back up. "I'm glad you're alright" He said softly.

Maxine nodded before leaning against his comforting embrace. There was nowhere else she'd rather be right now than with her fiancée.

Dodger ran his hands through her naturally wavy brown hair, relieved she was okay but then again scared that whoever did this would be back. "Come on, let's go lay down for a while" He said before they headed to their bedroom.

A few minutes later, Maxine was resting peacefully in Dodger's arms-the warmth of his body could be felt through his top-that and the steady beating of his heart and the familiar scent of his cologne relaxing Maxine.

Dodger was also relaxing on the bed, beside Maxine keeping her safe like he said he would after everything she had gone through. Never again would she feel worthless or afraid or at least of him. He felt his phone buzzing in his jean pocket and when he checked for messages there was a menacing text.

I will find you.

Dodger sighed as he put down his phone, not really in the mood for anonymous, cryptic texts.

"Who was it?" Maxine said sleepily.

"No one babe, just go back to sleep okay?" He asked softly, not wanting her to be scared again and her peaceful mood ruined.

Maxine made a sleepy hum before falling back sleep, never wanting to leave Dodger's side.

Dodger tried to get some sleep but in reality with the boat vandalism, Patrick breaking out of jail and now these two incidents-he had a lot on his mind. He tried to be strong for Max but the fear that something could happen was always there.


	9. Chapter 9

(_**First of all I want to say a very big thank you to everyone for all the kind reviews. It really means a lot to me and that is what keeps me going with this story lol. Oh and the fact I want to write a story about one of my most shipped Hollyoaks pairings ;) Expect mystery/suspense in this and the next few chapters and later on will be more happy and fluffy, romantic chapters. Enjoy.**_

Chapter 9

That weekend was Maxine and Dodger's engagement party which was held at The Loft nightclub. It wasn't a huge gathering-friends and loved ones were mostly there to say congratulations to the happy couple. There was plenty of champagne to drink and food was provided courtesy to The Hutch restaurant.

Dodger was standing by the bar with Darren and Dennis, taking in the happy mood. And of course he couldn't take his eyes off his gorgeous fiancée who looked even more beautiful than she always did and was wearing a cute party dress.

"I'm so happy for you and Maxine, it's about time you two tied the knot" Dennis said.

Dodger smiled. "Yeah, I'm happy that we are and thanks by the way" He said as he took a sip of his champagne. He couldn't help but notice Nancy and Sienna were avoiding each other. It was to be expected since they were enemies but Dodger didn't want any uneasiness tonight.

Meanwhile in the middle of the room, Maxine was chatting with some of her friends, some from works and some weren't.

"That is a beautiful ring Dodger got for you Maxine" Lindsey Roscoe complimented. She came with her husband Joe who was currently chatting with his brothers.

"Thanks Lindsey, but I'm sure it can't compete with yours " Maxine said with a smile.

Lindsey laughed softly. "Yeah well my Joe is very good to me" She said. "So where is the lucky lad anyway?"

Maxine suddenly saw Dodger by the bar chatting with Darren and Dennis. She smiled at him before turning back to Lindsey. "Over at the bar, think I'm going to distract him" She teased before moving through the crowded club before finding her fiancée.

"Hey gorgeous" Maxine said as she wrapped her arms around Dodger, not caring who saw them.

Dodger smiled as he wrapped an arm around Maxine's shapely waist. "Hey, you look very beautiful tonight" He complimented.

Maxine smiled before kissing Dodger on the lips for a moment. All of a sudden a happy pop song came on and people started to head out to the middle of the club to dance. "Let's go dance yeah?" She asked as she took Dodger to the dance floor.

Dodger twirled Maxine. "I'm glad you're having tonight" He said over the booming music.

"Well you know, I've always loved a good party" Maxine teased as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Dodger laughed as the couple continued dancing, not care in the world just lost in the music and in each other's embrace.

Little did anyone in the club know, a mysterious stranger headed inside where the party was going on. It was like a slow motion scene from a movie when he/she slowly took in their surroundings. He/she passed a lot of people drinking, socializing and having fun.

But one couple in particular got the attention-a beautiful brunette with long, wavy hair in a trendy party dress and the bloke she was dancing with had handsome features and in a semi-formal suit without the tie. They looked to be in the moment and very much in love. Both parties looked very familiar. The mysterious drifter then left the club and headed off into the night.

"I'll be right back" Dodger said meanwhile as he softly pulled away from Maxine after the song ended.

"Where you going babe?" Maxine asked but her fiancée was already lost amongst the crowd.

Dodger had a few words with the DJ who was nice enough to let him use the microphone for a bit. When he took it, it made that loud annoying sound that made the partygoers flinch.

"Oh sorry for that everyone" Dodger apologized. "Thanks to all of you who came out tonight to celebrate the new life me and my gorgeous wife to be Maxine are going to share very soon"

Maxine blushed and smiled as everyone else smiled and applauded.

"I love this woman very much and I am very happy to be calling her my misses" Dodger continued. He then left the stage with microphone still in hand and with a glass of champagne as he headed back to where Maxine was.

"Oh my god Dodger, you're not going to sing to her are you mate?" Daren asked from Nancy making his wife and everyone else laugh.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea but not tonight Darren" Dodger said before turning to his fiancée and taking both her hands in his. "Let's toast to new beginnings and happy new memories" He said before clicking his glass with Maxine's.

Maxine smiled as she leaned in to kiss Dodger with her arms around him, earning an 'awww" from everyone that attended.

Meanwhile outside, the mysterious lurker who was watching the scene from a window suddenly stormed away.

Later that night after the engagement was over, Maxine and Dodger headed back home, glad to be home for the night where they could now relax.

"I'm glad you had fine tonight as well" Maxine was saying just as she turned on the light switch and before her was a shocking scene. "Oh my god" She said with a shocked look on her face.

Dodger's eyes widened at the scene before them. There was stuff everywhere on the floor and scattered about-it looked like a robbery due to the state of the room. He then saw a now torn in half picture of them together. Dodger sighed at the insanity of all this.

Maxine ran both hands through her hair as she paced the room. "I have a really bad feeling about this Dodge" she said.

Dodger then picked up the ruined picture and placed it on the bar before taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom to see if there was any more damage. He flipped on the light-sure enough their room was trashed.

Now Maxine was even more scared than she already was. Whoever did this had some nerve to go and ruin her good mood she had all evening at the party. She suddenly found another message written on the wall…in her lipstick.

**YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE…**It read in big, haunting letters. "Dodge, there's…another message on the wall" She said, shaking in her heels.

Dodger went over to where Maxine and sighed at what it read. He immediately took her in his arms, hoping his embrace would make her feel safe. Suddenly his phone buzzed in his pocket and so did Maxine's. He touched the screen and there was another message…

"I will come back for you…" Dodger read.

"So sleep with one eye open" Maxine read the other half. At that moment she felt ice in her blood and the fear she had as she was being followed was back but this time more intense and it was felt throughout her whole body.

"Why tonight Max? This was supposed to be a happy time" dodger said as he looked around at the mess. "Come on, we're going to the police" He said before handing Maxine her jacket and taking her hand, leading her out of the room.

The mystery person watched as the happy couple left the boat and got into the young bloke's van. That van, it was very familiar. The person was holding another picture of the couple and tore it to pieces but decided to keep the girl's half before heading off again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

(_**Who fancies a bit of danger and action? LOL)**_

Maxine slowly woke up on Saturday morning around ten or so, expecting Dodger to be there next to her but his side was empty. She immediately sat up and woke up for a few minutes before getting out of bed and looking for her fiancée.

"Dodger? Babe?" She said as she headed into the kitchen. It was then when she found a small note on the table, telling her Dodger had to stop by the emporium he, Dirk and Dennis took care of. Maxine smiled before making herself a bowl of cereal, hoping she didn't have to in to work that day. As of late, she had been extremely busy with the wedding she was helping to plan and everything else on top of her and Dodger being relentlessly tormented,

Meanwhile at the emporium, Dodger was busy taking of inventory which was both a trying yet sort of enjoyable task. Dennis and Dirk had stepped out for a minute to take care of something so for now he was on his own. He then noticed there was a box of something in the back storage closet he needed so Dodger headed to the back and began looking for that specific box of "junk" as he called it.

The same person who had been terrorizing Dodger and Maxine looked around before lighting a match and tossing it to the ground but not before sending another text as they walked away. The match that was on the ground suddenly created small flicks of orange flames and the strong smell of smoke filled the air.

Back inside the shop, the smoke alarm started going off. Dodger went over to try to open the door but it was locked. He tried again to get the door to open but it didn't still wouldn't budge. The place was on fire and he wasn't sure he was going to get out!

Dennis was on his way back to the emporium and smelled smoke and hurried toward where it was coming from-sure enough it was on fire. "Dodger!' He called for his cousin hoping the other man would hear him. By then the lower half of the building was covered with flames. By then quite a few people were out in the middle of the village watching everything.

"Someone call 911!" Dennis cried out, not wanting Dodger to die in that fire. It would hurt not only him and Dirk but Maxine too. Suddenly the thought of his cousin's fiancée sent Dennis into hurrying back to the boat where he hoped Maxine would be.

Dodger was still trapped inside the store in the storage closet, coughing as he tried to keep the toxic fumes of the smoke at bay but every time he took a breath it felt like his lungs were on fire or something.

'Help!" He cried as he pounded on the door, as he called out for help he began to choke on the thick smoke in the air. He began to think of Maxine and how much it would devastate her if he didn't make it.

Dennis quickly opened the door of the boat and quickly began to look for Maxine, hoping she would be home.

"Maxine!" Dennis called out as he walked down the hall looking for the young woman.

Maxine came out of the bedroom when she heard Dennis call for her. He sounded scared which worried her. She prayed her fiancée wasn't in trouble but then again by the sound of her friend's voice, her hope was dashed. "Dennis what's wrong?" She asked with a scared look on her face.

"The emporium is on fire" Dennis said hoping the fire trucks were there and doing their best to save his cousin.

Maxine then covered her mouth with her hands in distress. "Oh my god Dodger" She said before immediately hurrying off the boat and heading into town where the fire was happening, Dennis a few feet behind her. As she got closer Maxine could smell the harsh fumes of flames and smoke. And sure enough there was Dodger's van.

"No! Dodger!" Maxine yelled out in anguish as she hurried toward the building with Dirk attempting to hold her back.

"Let the firefighters do their job love" Dirk said as he tried to keep the hysterical woman from doing something foolish and in the process getting killed.

"Let me go!" Maxine said through her heavy sobs, her body shaking with every sob and fear that her beloved Dodger could be hurt or dead. She had no idea what she would do if he didn't make it. She broke down in Dirk's arms.

At the same time, the fire squad had made their way inside the building looking for any people trapped inside. The place looked a mess with almost everything on fire and burning.

Dodger was losing his strength and the heat and the smoke was making him woozy and tired. He didn't want to give up just yet but there so much his body could take before it quit on him. As he drifted in and out of consciousness he thought of Maxine and all they have been through good and bad…

"I have to see him my fiancée's in there" Maxine protested through her tears, she couldn't stand not knowing what was going to happen.

"The firefighters are doing all they can Maxine, I'm sure Dodger is just fine" Dennis reassured his friend as the squad was at work extinguishing the fire.

Two of the firefighters broke down the storage closet door and found Dodger passed out on the floor from smoke inhalation.

"We have a male in his mid-twenties passed from smoke inhalation, need an ambulance now" One of the firemen radioed. He and his fellow firefighters picked up Dodger and carried him out of the building.

Maxine, Dirk and Dennis hurried to Dodger's side as soon as he was brought out.

"It's going to be okay babe, I'm right here" Maxine said as she reached for Dodger's hand, afraid to let go.

The ambulance then arrived and soon the crowd moved so the paramedics could help Dodger. They placed him on a stretcher and placed a mask over his mouth before wheeling him into the ambulance.

"Can I go with him? I'm his fiancée" Maxine told one of the EMTs. She didn't want to leave his side now that he was hurt and was afraid that something would happen if she left him all alone.

"Sure love" One of the paramedics said before Maxine got into the ambulance since Dirk and Dennis were getting their own ride to the hospital.

Maxine tried to stay calm through everything that was going on but it was hard. Her fiancée was fighting for his life and she had no idea how the fire started. Maybe it was a bad accident or something else? Something more sinister?

She took his hand and held it tightly as they were on their way to the hospital. "You're going to make it Dodge, I promise…you have to, for me and your family" she said softly as fresh tears began to form. "I love you so much and I can't bear to lose you"

Just then Maxine felt Dodger squeeze her hand back and she smiled in relief when she noticed he was awake. "Hey" She said trying not to cry of happiness but it was difficult not to. Maxine beamed when he reached out and touched her face.

Then they arrived at A&E hospital and Dodger was wheeled into recovery where he could recuperate from smoke inhalation. Luckily the firefighters got there before it was too late for him.

Awhile later, Dodger woke up and he was in a cool and white room so he was sure he was in the hospital. He remembered the fire and how the toxic fumes made it hard for him to breathe without coughing. But the sight he wanted to remember was Maxine's beautiful face.

"Hey babe" Maxine said as she held his hand, relieved he was okay.

"Hey" Dodger said softly, still a bit tired. "That was scary wasn't it?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"You need to rest Dodge, you can joke around later when you have the strength" Maxine said. She couldn't take that risk. For now he had to get better.

Dodger nodded. "Remember that time I saved you from that fire in The Loft?" He asked,

Maxine nodded. "Yeah, I was scared. But then you saved me"

"I'll always be here for you Maxine" Dodger said softly as he held her hand.

"I'll hold you to that" Maxine said with a smile. "You should be allowed to go home in a few hours" She continued.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A few days after the emporium blaze, Dodger was back to normal considering the whole store had almost burned to the ground but thankfully it wouldn't take much work to get it fixed, Maxine and his family and friends were relieved he was going to be just fine but still there was that lingering feeling that the fire was intentional. Considering there was a crazy stalker on the loose, which had to be the only reason.

Dodger drove up to Maxine's work one early morning-not risking the chance of her being followed again. "So I'll see you after work?" He asked.

Maxine nodded. "Yeah" She said with a smile before leaning to kiss him. "I love you"

Dodger smirked. "No, I love you"

Maxine laughed. "Oy, I'm going to be late" She said before pecking him on the cheek one last time before getting out of the van and heading inside.

Once she headed inside, Veronicas suddenly walked up to her. "Maxine, just the person I wanted to see at this hour"

"Everything is on schedule Ronnie" Maxine said as she looked through her notes, making sure nothing was late and that things were ready to go.

Veronica chuckled. "Good to know, and by the way do you have the seating chart for the ceremony?" She asked.

Maxine then reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper which had seating plans all over it so everyone could have somewhere to sit at the ceremony. "I've decided to stick to tradition and have family members up front"

Veronica examined the seating chart. "Well done my dear"

Just then Maxine's phone vibrated and as she got it out to check for messages-the one person she never wanted to hear from again had sent her another text.

You will never be rid of me no matter how hard you try.

Maxine couldn't move or speak-it felt as if the world had come to a standstill. Suddenly all of her work stuff fell out of her hands and onto the floor.

"What on earth? Are you all right darling?" Veronica asked in surprise. Usually her employee was so composed and put together-it was rare to see her freeze up like that.

Maxine still couldn't find the words to explain to her boss that someone was stalking her and Dodger. She felt like she was going to be ill. Maxine headed to the restroom, leaving all her stuff behind.

Meanwhile Dodger was on the boat, trying to catch up on some work now that the emporium was closed until it was finished being rebuilt. But still he had way more on his mind-like if the fire was based on an accident like a bad wire or something else. Maybe the person who started the blaze actually wanted to hurt or even kill him. And he also had Maxine to worry about. Whether she wanted to admit or not-he saw his fiancée as vulnerable since Patrick got put away.

The threatening, anonymous texts, Maxine being followed that night, the messages on the side of the boat and on the bedroom wall…and now the fire. Dodger sighed as he tried to take it all in. Of course he wasn't a private investigator but he knew something was wrong-it was that weird, sick feeling he had in his stomach.

'You all right Dodger?" Dirk asked as he walked past and saw the boy he had raised as his own being awfully quiet.

"I'm fine, just doing a lot of thinking" Dodger said as he put down his pen, wanting desperately to take a break and get his mind off everything that had been troubling him.

Dirk sat next to Dodger. "About the wedding?" He asked.

Dodger sighed. "No, more about that daft psycho who keeps terrorizing us" He said as he looked out the window.

"Dodger, you've done all you can, now it's time to let the police handle whoever this is okay?" He suggested calmly.

Dodger stood up and began to pace the room. 'I know but…I can't help but feel sick to my stomach when that person strikes again and there's fear in Maxine's eyes. Just as she's getting her life back to normal after everything Patrick put her through" He sighed before continuing. "Max has done enough being afraid of her own shadow and I will make sure she never has to do that again"

Dirk then placed a hand on Dodger's shoulder. "I would do the same for Cindy if she was in the same situation but…I don't want you to get hurt is all"

Dodger sat back down where he was before. "I know" He said softly.

"I think you should just concentrate on the wedding and your new future with Maxine" Dirk suggested.

"It's hard especially with what's going on" Dodger protested. As much as he wanted to just focus on him and Maxine, how could he do that when some random crazy person is out there wanting to hurt her?

"I know Dodge, but once all this craziness settles down then you and Maxine will finally get the lives you both deserve" Dirk said,

Dodger nodded. "Yeah, considering I've waited quite a while to call her my own" He said.

Meanwhile Maxine had just gotten done splashing her face with some water in the restroom to try and soothe her intense nerves. But she still felt the butterflies and chills down her spine. Maxine then realized she absolutely had to stop thinking about it or else she was going to go mental.

She was supposed to looking forward to her new life with Dodger-her gorgeous, sweet, funny and all around perfect soon to be husband. But with this madman running around-it was easier said than done. Once she was composed enough, she fixed her hair and left the room heading back to where she was before. Veronica was talking with the same catering company she had hired way back when they were hired to take of the planning.

"Oh there you are Maxine. Feeling better?" Veronica asked once she was finished with the caterers.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, just under a lot of stress" Maxine explained, hoping Veronica wouldn't get too suspicious.

Veronica nodded. "I see. So by the quick way you headed to the loo, I'm guessing you have a bun in the oven ay?"

Maxine softly chuckled. "No I'm not pregnant I promise, just dealing with a lot"

"All right, I won't pry any further" Veronica said before walking away.

Maxine took a deep breath and began to get her mindset on work and not her stalker. She had no idea why Ronnie thought she was pregnant. Of course she would like to start her own family with Dodger but now was just not the right time.

By the end of the day, she was on her way out the door when Ronnie and her assistant Helena walked up to her.

"Care to join us for some champagne at The Loft Maxine?" Ronnie asked.

"Ummm, sure. Just let me text my fiancée real quick" Maxine said before getting out her phone and sending Dodger a quick message.

_Hey babe, it's me. Going out for drinks with some people from work. Be back later  
Love Max_

Half an hour passed and the three women were gossiping and drinking champagne, forgetting all about work.

"So Maxine, Ronnie tells me you're getting hitched" Helena said before taking another sip of her champagne.

"Yes I am" Maxine said with a smile. "I'm pretty sure he's the one"

"Well you certainly have my congratulations" Helena said before all three women laughed.

"Thanks Helena, I'm going to go to the loo real quick" Maxine said before grabbing her purse, leaving her drink on the bar.

The other two women were too busy gabbling about work and etc. to notice a stranger had come along and mysteriously snuck a sleeping pill into Maxine's drink before disappearing yet again.

Soon after Maxine had come back and finished her drink, she said good night to her co-workers and left the club. Suddenly she began to feel very tired and dizzy. She only had two glasses of champagne so she couldn't have been that drunk. Maxine suddenly passed out and then all of a sudden a mysterious person found her and picked her up before putting her into the back of a car. The car then sped away to an abandoned warehouse somewhere in London, thinking she wouldn't be found there.

Meanwhile back in Chester on the boat, Dodger suddenly got Maxine's text and was kind of concerned she was out at night after work considering what happened last time but then again he figured she would be safe with work acquaintances so he didn't think too much of it

Inside the cold and dark warehouse, the stranger placed Maxine on the bottom bunk bed before getting her situated as if she was simply asleep and not drugged. A calloused male hand reached out to stroke some of Maxine's hair off her face.

"Sleep tight my dear" The man whispered before leaving and closing and locking the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"So what do we do now?" Dodger asked at the police station the next morning. Dodger was going out of his mind, looking for Maxine. She didn't come home at all last night and he waited for hours for her to walk in the door and still nothing. There wasn't a chance she would had too much champagne and slept it off or anything like that.

"There's not much we can do Mr. Savage-given your fiancée is a legal adult so perhaps she left or went to stay with a mate or family member" one of the officer suggested. "This could be another case when the bride to be gets cold feet and suddenly takes off"

Dodger sighed. "I don't understand. Maxine would never leave without telling me or at least taking some luggage or necessities with her" He protested.

"I'm sorry mate but the case is out of our hands" The officer continued.

Dodger gritted his teeth. His Maxine was missing and he had no idea where she was and if she was hurt, scared, cold or anything and the coopers were treating it like it was no big deal and that made him angry. "My fiancée has disappeared into thin air and it's not like her to disappear like that and I have no bloody idea where she is!" He said loudly.

Meanwhile in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of London, Maxine slowly opened her eyes. She felt groggy and if she was in a different world-one that was very foreign to her. Maxine remembered getting some champagne after work and the last thing she could place was feeling bad as soon as she felt which was strange since she wasn't intoxicated.

She heard someone softly call her name and in her half asleep state of mind thought it was Dodger. When she opened her eyes after hours of sleeping, she pictured her fiancée there with her.

"Dodge?" she asked softly, hoping it was real and that she was safe at home with her fella.

When her vision began to clear up the person next to her wasn't Dodger! She could place that face anywhere. It was her ex fiancée Patrick!

"Oh my god" Maxine said starting to get terrified. This has to be a nightmare-she wanted so bad for this all to be a bad dream and then she'd wake up and be safe in Dodger's arms. Her breath started to quicken and her body was shaking with fear.

"Hello Maxine, long time no see" Patrick said coldly with no emotion. That was always part of who he was-an emotionless robot. In fact the only emotion he was capable of showing was anger.

Maxine suddenly sat up and hurried to the door, pounding on it furiously but it wouldn't open. She wrapped her arms around herself as she felt herself unable to breathe or even speak.

"Actually that door is locked pretty good, going to need a special key" Patrick continued nonchalantly not even noticing Maxine was super close to having a panic attack.

"You're supposed to be in jail" Maxine said through gasps. It felt like her chest had been run over and there was so many things running through her mind.

"I came back. For you" Patrick said as he watched the woman he supposedly loved struggle to make sense of it all.

Maxine shook her head. "No" she said simply. "It's over"

Patrick reached out to touch Maxine's cheek, making the young woman feel as if she was going to be sick. "We're together now"

Maxine shook her head again. She then attempted to open the door again with no success. Maxine started pounding on it furiously. Her hand was throbbing with pain but she didn't care

"Get me out of here!" She cried as she moved the doorknob quickly, hoping it would open with the force of her hand.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Maxine" The cold hearted man said as he stoically stood there. "It appears that you're stuck here"

"No! I want to go home!" Maxine began to lose control of her emotions. Now strong tears were running down her face as she kept banging on the door.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Patrick had no choice but to try to subdue his hysterical ex. He placed his hand over her mouth to muffle her cries.

Maxine tried to struggle against the deranged man but Patrick was stronger than her.

"I'm sorry Maxine, but you left me no choice" He continued as he went over to find some rope for around her wrists.

"This isn't supposed to be happening Patrick" Maxine said. "We're through and I've moved on" she continued.

Patrick suddenly had an angry look on his face. "Oh right, I forgot. You moved on with Mark" He said coldly.

Maxine began to feel panicky again once she felt the super tight rope around her wrists. "Please don't do this, just let me go" She begged.

Patrick then dragged her back to the bunk bed. "I'm afraid I can't" He said simply.

Fear ran through Maxine yet again as she was back to square one. She wanted to go home and be with Dodger but now she knew that was very unlikely at this rate. Suddenly a light bulb went off in her mind.

"Oh my god…it was you…you were the one that sent those texts" Maxine said breathlessly.

"Well, I could definitely hand it to you for figuring that out Maxine" Patrick said coldly.

"You followed me home that night after work" Maxine continued, chills going through her spine.

"Yes that was me. It wasn't very wise of you to hit me with one of your shoes" Patrick continued. "In fact you were always a foolish lass"

Maxine swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat from all the crying and terror. "You vandalized the boat…and that fire-you almost killed Dodger" She said weakly.

Patrick smirked. "You should be a detective Maxine because you've figured it all out, but then it would take years due to police academy and everything"

'Why?" Maxine asked-it was the only word that could come out of her mouth. Nothing else made sense.

"I had to get back what was mine before my dear son Mark came and ruined everything" Patrick said nonchalantly.

Maxine shook her head. "Don't blame this all on him Patrick. Most of it was you" She said.

Patrick then got in her face. "Is that so?" He said in a menacing voice.

"Yes. I gave you chance after chance to change and you didn't" Maxine said, looking at him right in the eyes.

Patrick then grabbed her face, squeezing her mouth. "I had to teach you Maxine" He said.

"Let me go" Maxine said seriously even though his hands were on her face.

Patrick smirked. "What are you going to do if I don't Maxine? Hit me with you shoe again or another one of those weak self-defense things you women do?" He taunted.

Maxine prepared for a fight. She was so sick and tired of being the victim-now it was payback. "Actually, something like this" She said before kicking him where in hurts.

Patrick doubled over in pain. "You evil cow" He growled.

Thankfully the ropes weren't tied super tight yet so Maxine took that as her chance to escape. She grabbed the closest thing which was a pipe.

"You're the evil one Patrick-not me" Maxine said. "You blew it every single time and now…I'm with Dodger and we're going to be happy" She continued.

Patrick took his chance and lunged for her, holding her face like he did last time but this time he was placing her against a wall.

"You are a pathetic, whiny, stupid, useless tart" Patrick taunted.

Maxine flashbacked to all the times he had been awful to her…him punching her in the face, grabbing her by the hair, pouring hot curry on her legs, being punched in the stomach, grabbing her arm…

Maxine still had the pipe in her hands so she decided to use it as a last resort. "No" She said softly. Suddenly Maxine snapped and had a fight mode in her all of a sudden. "No!" Maxine said louder pushing him away.

Patrick laid on his side, shocked and angered by her reaction. "You will pay for this Maxine, I don't know how or when but you will" He said in a menacing tone.

Just as Maxine walked past him to escape, she felt him grab her ankle. She screamed as she fell down to his level. She tried to crawl away from him on her hands and knees.

Patrick grabbed one of her legs, dragging her across the floor. "Get back here" He said.

Maxine then picked up the pipe and she closed her eyes and swung at him. She looked down at him and sighed of relief. Maxine then hurried to the locked door, trying to get it open.

"Come on" She said in frustration as the door knob refused to budge, well aware that Patrick could come to any second and then she'd really be in trouble.

Patrick slowly came to and found Maxine trying to escape. He found the rope that he was going to use the first time and snuck behind her as she tried to escape.

"Let go of me!" Maxine cried as she felt the rope around her wrists yet again. She was never going to get out of here in one piece at this rate-it felt like he was always step ahead of her.

Patrick muffled her shouts with his hand again-not wanting Maxine to make a scene. He couldn't let her ruin everything and he won't let her either. "Shhh it's ok" He whispered to her, hoping to calm her down.

Maxine shook her head as she swallowed that same lump in her throat that had formed earlier that day. How could all of this be ok? She was afraid of her own shadow yet again because of him and she almost lost the man she loved in the fire. This was far from okay.

Patrick then forced his ex-fiancée into a hug, rubbing her back. "Just trust me Maxine and everything will back to normal I promise" He continued.

Maxine felt as if she was going to be sick at Patrick's touch. After all this vile, evil man had put her through-it creeped her out definitely. She swallowed the bile that was building up while having a scared look in her eyes.

Patrick then pulled away from the terrified woman and looked into her eyes. "You know I missed you while I was in prison" He said.

Maxine nervously looked back at the man she used to love and care about. "Even though you treated me like crap most of the time, I was on your side" Maxine said meekly.

Patrick smirked. "That's what you're supposed to do when you love someone" He said before reaching out and touching her face.

Maxine flinched away quickly. She never wanted to feel those rough, violent hands anywhere on her ever again. "Get your hands off me Patrick" she said angrily but calmly.

"Pretend I'm Mark" Patrick insisted before continuing to touch her, his hands now on the curves of her sides.

"You're sick" Maxine hissed.

"You don't have a problem with Mark touching you ay? Perfect little Mark who everyone loves" Patrick continued, his voice fraught with jealousy. "I see why you're so entranced by him Maxine-he's young, good looking and I bet a better lover than me"

"He's by far a better man than you. He loves me, he cares about me, he understands" Maxine said. "And at least he doesn't hit me"

"Is that so?" Patrick asked before continued to feel up his ex-fiancée's curvy body. "Maybe me and my dear son should compare notes one of these days" He taunted.

Maxine shook her head firmly, getting sicker by the second. She used to fall for his manipulative ways but not anymore. "I'm free of you Patrick and it's a great feeling" She said.

Patrick smirked. "One more kiss for old time's sake" He suggested.

Maxine couldn't take it anymore so she spit in his face. "Never" she said coldly.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dodger tried in vain to have faith that the coppers would find Maxine but it had been two days since she took off and he couldn't shake that terrible feeling that something happened to her as much as he didn't want to think about it-the situation was always up front in his mind. The next morning as he worked, he got distracted by a picture of him and her together that was thankfully fixed after the break-in. They looked so happy and in love it was actually one of his favorites.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Dodger sighed as honestly he wasn't actually in the mood for visitors but he didn't want to appear rude. He was slightly relieved when Sam was at the door,

"I know this is a very trying time for you Mr. Savage but I'd like to ask you some questions about the night your fiancée disappeared" Sam said professionally.

Dodger rubbed his tired looking face. "Sure" He said agreeing to do whatever it took to find the find the woman he dearly loved.

The blonde officer then made her way inside the boat and sat down on the sofa, but she noticed that the young man was grieving immensely and she didn't blame him. If Danny or any of her girls Leela, Tegan or Peri vanished without a trace she'd be searching for answers too.

"Can you remember the last time you spoke to Miss Minniver?" Sam asked.

"The morning before she disappeared. I was driving her to work for safety reasons because of the stalker that's been after us for a while. We didn't say much, just agreed to see each other after she got off work, told her I loved her and that was it" Dodger recalled.

Sam recorded it on her notepad. "All right and when was the last form of any contact you had with her?" she continued. "Email or text message"

Dodger got his phone of his jean pocket and found Maxine's last text to him. "She texted me around 9 or so after work and told me she was going to have drinks with some work associates"

"Is there anyone else you can think of that might have a motive for hurting Maxine aside from Mr. Blake?" Sam asked seriously.

Dodger shook his head. "No I can't really think of anyone else" He said honestly.

Sam nodded. "I'm going to need a recent picture of her so I can do the missing flyers" She continued.

Dodger found one featuring only Maxine and her lovely smile. He did everything in his willpower to keep from crying in front of Sam but he was falling apart-where could Maxine be? "This is the most recent one I could find"

Sam took the picture and placed it in her briefcase. "Oh and by the way the station has found a little bit of evidence" She said before handing Dodger Maxine's work belongings such as her bag and paperwork.

"Thanks" Dodger said simply. There wasn't anything really interesting in there so he left it alone.

Meanwhile back at the warehouse, Maxine was resting in the lower bunk bed where she had been since yesterday morning. She missed Dodger so much and couldn't wait soon enough to get out of here so she could be back in his arms. Maxine missed everything about him from his beautiful green eyes to his touch and most of all how he would make her feel better with just one hug. Her thoughts were interrupted by Patrick coming into the room.

'I got something for you Maxine" Patrick's cold voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

Maxine sat up and looked at her ex suspiciously. "Oh really?" She asked emotionlessly.

Patrick handed her the big box. "Open it and see for yourself" He taunted.

Maxine slowly opened the box and there inside was a beautiful white dress, it had the feminine detailing and it was long with silk fabric and it was strapless.

"What is this for?" Maxine asked, wondering what Patrick was playing at. She was actually planning on buying her own wedding dress for when she married Dodge but it appeared her ex beat her to it.

"Oh just a reminder of what could have been" Patrick said. "You being my bride before I was arrested"

Maxine couldn't speak or move. He was planning on making her his bride still after all the trouble he put her through.

"Try it on, I want to see how it looks on you" Patrick insisted.

Maxine then noticed there wasn't a separate changing room so she felt a sick feeling in her bones. "There isn't anywhere to change"

"It's okay" Patrick insisted. "It kind of makes it more special if I see it on you"

Maxine was getting really nervous so she decided to do what he said in a moment of weakness. Her hands shook as she took off her blouse and dropped it to the ground with her arms around her chest.

Patrick kept his eyes on Maxine's body-remembering how stunning she was and still is truth be told.

Maxine shivered as she could feel Patrick's eyes on her. This was very creepy and she felt very awkward being like this in front of him after all this time. She took a deep breath as soon as the dress was on hoping it would calm her uneasiness.

Patrick then went up to her and helped her with the back zipper. Once he was done, he did a once over of her. ''You look very beautiful" He said.

Maxine looked down at the floor-the uneasy feeling still there. He was acting very predatory like around her and it gave her the chills. She closed her eyes to block everything out. "Patrick, please…don't"

Patrick started to massage her shoulders, the silky smoothness of her tan skin a nice contrast to the rough, aging skin of his hands. "Trust me Maxine" He whispered coldly.

Maxine's blood turned to ice. There was no way she could trust him-not after all of this. "I can't. Not anymore" Maxine said, standing her ground.

Patrick then turned her so that she was facing him. "Why not?" He asked with his hands on her arms.

Maxine looked up at Patrick's cold green eyes-the same color as Dodger's but in her ex's all she was hate and anger. But in her fiancée there was kindness and understanding. "I don't know if I'll ever trust you again after all that you've done to me"

Patrick suddenly had a look of remorse or maybe it was all an act on her face. "I'm sorry" He said simply.

Maxine shook her head. "They're just words Patrick. You have robbed me of who I used to be" She said.

"Maybe this will help you forgive me" Patrick said before leaning in to kiss her.

_No, this isn't right. _Maxine thought as he leaned in. This wasn't Dodger kissing her. "Patrick…no" Maxine said pushing him away.

Patrick backed away with a shocked and most of all angry look on his face. This was the third time Maxine rejected him and it was like a knife in his chest. "Guess I'm going to have to do this the hard way" He said before pressing his ex against a wall and making a move.

Maxine immediately felt disgusted. She wished she could take one long shower and scrub her skin raw of any feel of his hands on her. "Stop" She said on the verge on tears.

"No. you drove me to this Maxine" Patrick said menacingly before continuing what he was doing.

Maxine thought he was going to attack her and she would be damned if she was going to let that happen. Maxine decided she had some dignity left in her and promised to fight back. "You are a sad, pathetic man" She said angrily.

"What happened to my sweet Maxine ay? The one who would walk through fire for me?" Patrick asked as he got in her face.

"She no longer exists-just like us" Maxine said before kneeing him where she kicked him yesterday.

Patrick made a grunt of pain as he leaned over in pain. "You hurt me" He growled.

"Now you know what it's like to be me" Maxine said as she panted. "Oh and besides the lovemaking was rubbish" She taunted before grabbing something to defend herself.

Patrick laid on the ground fearful of the crazy woman who had replaced his kind, gentle, never hurt a fly ex fiancée. He had a fearful look in his eyes.

"Come on Patrick, you big wimp. Get up" She teased. "I'm just getting started" Maxine said as she wielded her weapon of choice menacingly.

**(I hope I didn't write Maxine too out of character although I enjoyed writing her as witty and tough lol)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Patrick walked into the room where he was holding Maxine with a missing flyer in his hand. He couldn't help but smirk at the irony of it all.

"Looks like you're pretty popular Maxine" Patrick said sarcastically.

Maxine looked up from the floor. "Yeah, well if you'd be a gentleman and let me go then the coppers wouldn't be looking for me" She said.

"Is that so?" Patrick asked smugly. "I bet Mark is blubbering that he can't find you right about now" He teased.

Maxine had a heavy feeling in her chest-thinking of Dodger worried sick about her made her all the more desperate to get out of here. Maxine knew she couldn't stay here forever-the police back home in Chester just had to help her.

"Why the long face Maxine?" Patrick asked after an awkward silence followed.

Maxine swallowed that nervous feeling that building up once again. She wanted it to subside but as long as she was here it looked unlikely. "I want to go home" Maxine said simply.

Patrick smirked. "You know, I like your company. After all it has been awhile" He taunted.

Maxine rolled her eyes. "What exactly are you playing at?" She asked, believing he had a plan up his sleeve. She knew him long enough to know when he was putting a scheme into motion.

Patrick laughed. "A bittersweet reunion maybe?"

"And what makes you think I will go back to you Patrick?" Maxine asked seriously. "I mean you've hit me countless times, made me feel worthless, stalked me, kidnapped me" She said, "Oh and my personal favorite arson and almost killing Dodger"

Patrick sighed of frustration. "Mark mark mark. Everything is always about him"

"All he ever did was love you Patrick, he did nothing wrong" Maxine insisted.

"That is where you are wrong Maxine. You had a one night fling with him, he lured you in with his charms and got you pregnant" He said.

"You and I have already broken up by then" Maxine said angrily.

"He…he took you away from me. He's not my son. That selfish home wrecker" Patrick said bitterly before picking something up and throwing it across the room.

Maxine closed her eyes at Patrick's rage. "It's not entirely his fault" She said.

Patrick paused for a second, considering what Maxine said. "Exactly. You returned his feelings and now both of you are paying" He said with an evil smile. "But there still a chance for us"

Maxine raised her eyebrow. "There is no way I am ever coming back to you" She said firmly.

"Why not? It didn't stop you before" Patrick insisted,

"I was stupid and naïve, now I finally see the writing on the wall" Maxine said, standing her ground. Sure once upon a time she did love Patrick but now those feelings have completely faded.

"I still love you Maxine, even after all this" Patrick said softly.

"I hate you" Maxine hissed angrily.

"There just has to be something I could do" Patrick said as he began to pace.

"How about nothing?" Maxine said.

"We can leave town together, just you and me. We'll go anywhere" Patrick said.

Maxine looked at his ex as if he was mental. "You have got to be kidding"

Patrick then reached forward and touched Maxine's face. "No I'm serious. Things can go back to how they were"

Maxine kept a straight face. "I will be celebrating when you get sent back to jail" She said.

Patrick smirked deviously. "I bet you would miss me" He taunted.

"Like hell" Maxine said back, playing at his own game whatever the hell it was. "I'd rather throw myself a bridge then go anywhere with you"

Patrick suddenly had an idea. "If you really miss Mark that bad, why don't I call him for you?" He suggested.

Maxine really wanted to hear Dodger's voice but there was still that nagging feeling "Is this some type of trick?"

Patrick had an idea in his head but he wasn't going to tell her. "Of course not" He said with a smirk before finding his phone and activating the voice disguiser. "But there is one thing though" He said before finding a knife and holding it to Maxine's throat.

Maxine cried in horror as she felt the sharp blade to her skin. She didn't want to die now-it would break Dodger's heart. "Please, let me talk to him"

"Very well" Patrick said before dialing the number, waiting as it beeped, keeping the knife to her throat.

Meanwhile back in Chester, Dodger heard his cell phone ring. A rush of adrenaline ran through his body-he hoped it would be Maxine but the caller ID said unknown. It could be her so he answered. "Hello?" He asked.

"Dodger?" Maxine asked through the other line, afraid Patrick was going to stab her any second now.

Dodger suddenly stood up. Maxine sounded very terrified on the other end and he hoped she wasn't hurt. "Max? Babe where are you?

Maxine began to cry. "I can't talk long" She said, tears rolling down her face.

Dodger had a shocked look on his face. "What's going on? Are you hurt?" He asked frantically.

"I love you so very much" Maxine said before Patrick snatched the phone away from her. "I have your fiancée. If you don't come here in 24 hours she is dead" He said through his disguised voice.

"No!" Maxine cried just as Patrick hung up.

Dodger felt his heart fall of his chest and terror and fear ran through his blood. Someone was threatening to kill Maxine! He didn't want to take any chances so he hurried off the boat, got in his van and drove like a bat out of hell to the police station.

Maxine was even terrified than ever. Patrick was really going to kill her this time and Dodge won't be around to save her. Her tears continued.

Patrick was oblivious to Maxine's fear-he was busy with the next part of his scheme. He disappeared into the back of the room and activated a bomb which was set to go off later. "We have several hours left in this place so we should really have an escape plan"

"You crazy son of a gun" Maxine said through her tears. "Why did I bother listening to you?"

Patrick meanwhile had untied her so that they could leave the room. He led her out to the main part of the warehouse.

Maxine began to beat on his chest. "I hate you Patrick! For everything single thing you've done to me!" She cried out uncontrollably.

Patrick grabbed hold of Maxine's arms. "Stop it" He said angrily. When she stopped hitting him, he touched her face. "I know I have hurt you but believe me, I have changed" He said.

Maxine shook her head. "No" She said, her tears forming again. "I don't believe you"

Patrick had her sit down in a random chair as he held onto her wrists. "You have to Maxine, I love you and if you come back to me, I promise I will never hurt you again" He begged.

"You're lying Patrick. I'm done. I love Dodger, me and him are getting married and you will be out of both of our lives" Maxine said.

Patrick had a hurt look in his eyes. She really left him no choice but to do this. Without another word he tied her wrists and ankles so she wouldn't escape.

"Patrick, please. Just let me go" Maxine said through her tears.

Once Patrick was done with his task, he grabbed her face roughly. "If I can't have you no one can" He said coldly before letting go and leaving her alone in the cold, dark room.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Later that night, Patrick was booking flight tickets to leave England-one for him and the other was for Maxine. If she wasn't going to go at her own free will then he would just have to drag her onto the plane kicking and screaming like a child. As much as he loved her, she was such a silly girl for thinking she could just replace him with Mark and live happily ever after.

He decided not to let his anger and jealousy over his son distract him from what he had to do in order for all of this to work out. The place he had decided on was Ireland-beautiful country and he figured it would be where he would repair his relationship with Maxine. And speaking of the temperamental young woman, Patrick opened the door a bit and there she was, still tied to the chair. Patrick smirked at how well it was going.

Meanwhile Maxine was getting tired, sore and of course starving and thirsty, hadn't had a decent meal since before she was kidnapped. And top of that she had fears that Patrick would really leave her to die and Dodger wouldn't be here to save her. The thought was breaking her heart but didn't want to freak out for the sake of provoking Patrick. But then again why did she care?

"Good morning my beautiful wife to be" Patrick said as he stood in front of her. "I already booked our flight and we should be heading to Ireland" He said.

"Oh great. And what are we going to do when we're there?" Maxine asked sarcastically.

"Look at the scenery, go to some pubs, be together like we were supposed to be" Patrick said.

"Me and you are over, done, finished Patrick. How many times do I have to say it?" Maxine asked.

"Is it any way to treat your soon to be husband?" Patrick asked with a smirk.

"In your dreams" Maxine said. "I'm tired, my ankles and wrists are sore, I haven't had anything to eat or drink in days and I'm very homesick" Maxine said angrily.

"Boo hoo poor Maxine" Patrick said in a fake sad voice. "You expect me to feel sorry for you ay?" He asked.

"I don't expect you to Patrick" Maxine said simply. "I don't want anything to do with you and after all this, I really don't think you want anything to do with me"

"That's not true Maxine. I care about you believe or not" Patrick said.

Maxine laughed. "You really are a piece of work" She said. "You treated me like your personal punching bag, hold a knife to my throat and now you say you care about me?"

"I had to teach you Maxine" Patrick insisted.

"Teach me what! How to be afraid of my own shadow? To not trust anyone and never let anyone love me?" Maxine exploded.

"I had to show you how to be responsible and mature" Patrick said, getting really frustrated with Maxine's back talk.

Maxine rolled her eyes. "Oh please" She said. "You almost ruined my life and I will never forgive you"

"Quit being such a drama queen Maxine. Before me, you were nothing but a tart who couldn't read" Patrick taunted.

"I'm not a tart" Maxine insisted, standing up for herself. Sure she made mistakes but next to Patrick she was a saint.

"You slept with my son!" Patrick yelled.

"I love him!" Maxine yelled back. "It's not entirely his fault we fell in love"

Patrick inhaled. "It won't be long before he breaks your heart and leaves you for something better" He said. "Why would any guy with half a brain want you?"

"Shut up" Maxine mumbled under her breath.

"You're fat, you're immature, you're stupid, you whine and cry all the time and you're annoying" Patrick continued.

"Shut up!" Maxine yelled in fury-anger and hatred boiling in her blood. To be honest, it felt relieving to let out all that anger.

"And you're quite mouthy" Patrick taunted. "Hope that temper of yours cools off once we're in Ireland"

"I'm not going to Ireland or anywhere with you" Maxine insisted.

"Yes you will, even if I have to drag you onto the plane kicking and screaming like a toddler" Patrick said coolly with no emotion whatsoever.

Maxine shook her head in defiance. "Over my dead body" She said.

Patrick then found a bottle of water and walked over to Maxine. "Didn't you say you wanted something to drink?" He asked before dumping it on Maxine.

Maxine gasped as the ice cold water ran down her skin. "Patrick!" She cried. "You bastard!"

Patrick laughed. "Cooled off now?" He asked coldly.

Maxine had a mean look in her eyes. "You know, I have never hated anyone as much as I hate you" She said.

"Is that so?" Patrick asked as if he had no idea what she was talking about. He knew but he decided to pretend he didn't.

"You took everything from me-my freedom, my happiness, everything" Maxine continued.

"Well you recovered just fine" Patrick pointed out. "Planning your silly happily ever after fairytale with Mark"

'You're right, I have. And I couldn't be happier now that we have each other" Maxine said. "And all that you have put me through has made me stronger"

Patrick smirked. "I should have known where your new feisty side came from" He taunted. "Now that we got that cleared up, what do you want to do first when we get to Dublin?"

Maxine sighed. "When are you going to realize that I'm not coming to Ireland with you? In fact being in this stupid warehouse with you makes me sick"

Patrick then leaned forward so he was in her face. "I always get what I want Maxine, you should know after being with me for a long time"

Maxine looked at him right in the eyes. "Yes I do know, I also know for a fact you're a coldhearted sociopath who has intense jealousy"

"I wasn't such a bad guy. We had some good times didn't we?" Patrick asked.

"They're not occurring to me" Maxine said. "Actually more bad than good"

"That really hurt my feelings Maxine. And I thought you loved me"

"I did, a long time ago but not anymore" Maxine said as she shifted in her seat, being all tied up was starting to become uncomfortable.

"Not even a getaway would help?" Patrick asked smugly.

Maxine shook her head. "I don't think so. You used to shower me with expensive stuff, to show you were sorry for hitting me and I took you back again and again"

"And that doesn't work anymore?" Patrick asked.

"Afraid not" Maxine said. "You never really showed how much you cared about me to be honest"

Patrick was getting annoyed with her being mouthy so he thought of something. "All right so I'll go to Ireland and you can stay here and starve to death if that's what you want"

"You're going back to jail and I'm going back to Chester where Dodger and my friends are" Maxine said seriously.

Patrick laughed. "Isn't it weird how plans don't always work out?" He asked before heading into the back room and finding what he was looking for. He came back out and showed Maxine.

Maxine's eyes widened at what Patrick had in his hands. It was a bomb! Now she really hoped Dodger would come and save her before the warehouse would go ka-boom. "Oh my god, you cannot be serious"

Patrick reached out and touched her cheeks. "Don't be scared Maxine, fear isn't good" He said in a creepy tone before smiling at the terrified look in Maxine's eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Patrick took a look at the bomb and noted that there was fifty minutes left before it would go off. Just enough time to get out of here and head to the airport. He wasn't sure if he was going to bring Maxine or not by the way she was acting. What an ungrateful cow. He headed to the back where he decided to finish making final preparations. Patrick smirked deviously when he typed in Maxine Blake instead of Minniver-his plan to make the travel agents they were spouses.

Maxine knew time was almost time up-she had no idea if she was going to make it out or not. Maxine really hoped she would considering it would break Dodger's heart if she didn't make it. As she sat alone in the cold, dark room tied to the same chair she thought of him and everything they've been through together. Maxine wished she would kiss Dodger and feel his strong arms around her right now.

"Dodger, please find me…I love you" She said softly through her tears. She peered around the corner and she saw Patrick typing away at a laptop. Maxine closed her eyes and continued to cry softly, not wanting to die just as she was getting her life back.

Meanwhile, Dodger was driving through the streets of London looking for his fiancée and the psycho who kidnapped her. Anger, fear and anxiety were in his blood and when he found the daft person who did this-there would be hell to pay he would make sure of it. Thankfully the police were helping him in his search since now Maxine was in physical harm's way.

He had got some information on where she might be held thanks to Sam who did some tracking and to her findings, the call came from a warehouse that has been mostly abandoned and now here he was. In London, looking for Maxine.

"Come on Max, you have to be here somewhere" Dodger said softly as he continued to drive. This was breaking his heart into a billion pieces but he knew that he had to stay strong but it was becoming more difficult.

Patrick smirked as he drank some whisky humming one of those Irish drinking songs. "You know Maxine, I should teach you The Irish Jig once we're there" He teased. "It'll be fun"

Maxine sighed frustrated. "Like hell you will"

"Don't believe me?" Patrick asked. He then started to do his imitation of the dance.

"You're wasting time Patrick" Maxine said. "Making me think I'm going to join you"

"You are as a matter of a fact" Patrick said with an evil smile. He then went up and behind her and began to rub her shoulders. "You're tense"

Maxine felt bile building up in her throat as he did his _massage. _"You're in complete and utter denial. We're not together anymore and yet you still try to make me feel sorry for you"

Patrick chuckled. "There is still something between us Maxine, I just know it" He said before stopping what he was doing and leaned in front of her. "You look so beautiful in white" He said.

Maxine glared at him. "You're sick" She said with a straight face. "Someone will find me and you will be going to jail where you belong"

Dodger finally found the place thank goodness after driving for a while. He got out of the van and noticed there was another car there-a slick dark blue sports car. Dodger headed to the entrance and realized the door was locked.

"I highly doubt that" Patrick said. "I'm already a few steps ahead of you" He said before laughing. "I'm going to go finish with the booking" He said before walking away.

Maxine then knew for sure he was going to win at this sick scheme. He always did but a small part of her was still holding out hope.

Dodger used his van keys to unlock the door and finally it worked. He rushed inside and was instantly led into a dark hallway. It was cold and creepy by appearances. He slowly went down the hall, hoping to find Maxine.

Maxine heard footsteps in the hall outside. She smiled with relief, hoping she was be saved from her maniac ex. "Hello?" She asked. "Anyone?"

Dodger heard a voice-it sounded like Maxine's. He hurried to the door and tried to open it, realizing it was also locked. Whoever had her must have locked this place pretty good. He used the van keys again and finally the door opened!

Patrick heard someone enter the main half of the warehouse where Maxine was. No this was going to ruin everything he planned. Now they will never get to Ireland. He quickly made a choice of action and found a gun before going into hiding in the corner of the room. The bomb read 15 minutes.

Maxine felt a wave of relief go through her body as she saw Dodger's handsome face appear from behind the door. "Dodger…" She said a relieved and breathless voice. Maxine was so happy to see him again she could cry.

Dodger hurried to his fiancée before holding her tightly in his arms, lots of emotions in his mind. He had been going out of his mind for the last two days worrying about Maxine and if she was alive, hurt or dead. Thankfully she was still here. "Oh my god, thank goodness you're all right" Dodger said on the verge of tears.

Maxine couldn't hold back her happy tears. "How did you find me?" She asked.

Dodger found a pair of scissors and began to cut up the super strong rope that were tied around her wrists and ankles to keep her from escaping. "The police but Sienna, Nancy, Darren, Dirk and Dennis helped with the missing flyers" Once he was finished, he helped Maxine up from the chair and immediately brought her close to him, their bodies pressed together-missing the other.

Maxine rested her head against Dodger's manly chest, his familiar scent and warmth comforting her. She was so afraid she was never again going to feel his embrace again, look into his eyes or experience the feel of his lips on hers.

Patrick watched from around the corner as he saw Mark and Maxine embrace like one happy couple. He clenched his jaw as he adjusted the gun and slowly left the room, wanting revenge for all that Mark had done to him.

Dodger glanced up and quickly pulled Maxine to his side once he saw his own father with a gun in his hand. "Oh my god" He said.

"Miss me?" Patrick asked with a smirk. "Nice rescue plan you pulled off here Mark" He continued.

"You kidnapped Maxine and stalked us" Mark said slowly, anger boiling in his bones.

"Hate to break it to you but yes" Patrick said with an evil smile.

Maxine looked up at Dodger with fear in her eyes. "Please…don't do this. We love each other" She begged, holding tightly to Mark's hands, afraid to let go.

Patrick adjusted the trigger, wanting to shoot either or both he was so mad. "No, you love me Maxine" He insisted.

Maxine shook her head. "No, I'm sorry"

The bomb started to count down the remaining numbers as each second passed. All of a sudden-BOOM! A huge explosion rocked the place sending all three adults in different directions. Patrick went flying through the air while Mark and Maxine hit the ground, protecting themselves from debris with their arms. A few seconds later a ceiling came crashing down forcing the couple to separate.

Maxine screamed like a three year old and then silence. Patrick laid in the far corner bleeding profusely while Dodger and Maxine laid on either side of the collapsed ceiling not saying anything or moving…

**(Cue the EastEnders dum dums lol. But don't worry Maxine and Dodge will be fine because I'm nice like that ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The destroyed warehouse was full of smoke, debris and dark since the explosion knocked out the power. Walls and windows were destroyed and furniture strewn about. The whole place looked like a war zone with everything out of its place and on top of everything Dodger, Maxine and Patrick were about the place after the force of the explosion. Patrick was in the far corner bleeding with a heavy piece of ceiling on top of him, Dodger was laying on his stomach while Maxine was flat on her back with different sorts of debris covering her, her arm sticking out of the pile.

Dodger was the first one of the three to come to-his head and body sore from the impact. The last thing he remembered was the ceiling heading toward him, leaping out of the way to avoid getting hit and then nothing. He coughed up a bit of smoke as some of the toxic fumes got into his lungs. As he slowly looked around, he found one of Maxine's high heels and suddenly her scream was the last thing he heard before the ceiling crashed.

"Maxine" Dodger said as he looked around the demolished warehouse for his fiancée. It wasn't long before he looked past the collapsed ceiling and found her…under rumble. He hurried over to her, fear in his bones.

Dodger tried not to cry as he tried to remove some of the stuff off Maxine's body, hoping she wasn't dead or seriously hurt. He finally found her under collapsed table parts.

"You're going to be okay Max" He said sadly as he touched her cheek, hoping his touch would wake her up. He then touched the side of her neck-one of his favorite places to kiss her- where he hoped there was a pulse. There was one but it was very weak.

Dodger let a small tear fall from his eyes as he tried to process everything that was going on. Maxine could die and he would be devastated-another woman he loved lost at the hands of a deranged family member. First Texas, then his mum and now her. Dodger decided not to prophecy and began to perform CPR on his soon to be bride.

"Come on babe, wake up" Dodger begged as he continued to give her mouth to mouth and pressing on her chest.

"Mark…" Patrick groaned in pain from the far corner. He felt something extremely heavy from his chest down to his legs and he couldn't move. "Help"

Dodger clenched his jaw as he heard his estranged father beg for help. That bastard didn't deserve it but he also didn't want to let him die-it would forever on his conscience. But the life of his soul mate was more important.

Maxine slowly came to with a roaring pain in her head and her entire body sore from being crushed under the table. Her vision was blurry as she tried to remember it all-the explosion, the ceiling collapsing, her hitting the ground…she heard someone say her name but she was too out of it to recognize who.

"Maxine, babe it's me" Dodger said as he tried to help her wake up so the paramedics could help her…and Patrick as well. He was so thankful she had opened her beautiful blue eyes but there was still some progress to be made.

Maxine saw a mirage of a man with green eyes, a prominent shaped nose, a defined bone structure and full, pouty lips. Was it Dodge? It sure looked like him. "Dodger?" She asked weakly.

Dodger sighed of relief as he wrapped his arms around the woman holding her tightly. "Are you all right?" He asked as he cupped her face.

"My heads hurts and I'm sore but other than that I'm fine" Maxine said. She was relieved Dodge was fine as well. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't. But one person suddenly came to their minds. "Patrick" She said worriedly.

"Come on" Dodger said as he stood up and helped Maxine as they walked past the debris that was covering the entire building. Dodger found his father laying on the ground pinned beneath a piece of the ceiling. The older man was barely conscious and bleeding heavily.

Patrick slowly came to and saw Dodger before him. "I'm trapped" the former head teacher mumbled under his breath, having no energy to speak up.

"I'll try to get this off you" Dodger said as he prepared to move the heavy piece of metal off Patrick but it was extremely heavy. He gritted his teeth as he tried again to move it but it wouldn't budge. "Max, can you help?" He asked his fiancée.

Maxine knew that piece of ceiling was too heavy for her to lift but she decided to help Dodger with his task. "Do you think we should leave this to the experts?" She asked.

"There isn't enough time Max" Patrick insisted. "I'll be dead by then" He said as he gritted his teeth in pain.

"On the count of three" Dodger said, taking charge. "One…"

"Two" Maxine said holding onto the piece with all the strength her slender, feminine arms had.

"Three" Dodger finished before the couple tries once more to move the heavy bar off Patrick. It was too strong for both. Dodger wasn't weak but this was too much. "I'm sorry Patrick but it's too heavy for us" He told his father.

Patrick sighed angrily. "Well that's just great" He said.

"We tried Patrick but Dodger's right it's too strong, we're gonna have to wait for medics" Maxine said.

"Where is that ambulance anyway?" Patrick asked angrily, losing his patience.

"I can't find my mobile" Dodger said.

Patrick rolled his eyes before noticing debris was coming loose. "Look out!" He yelled

Dodger and Maxine quickly looked up and saw another piece of debris was coming for them. They quickly got out of the way, sending some pieces of ceiling paint falling on Patrick.

"PATRICK!" Maxine screamed as she saw one very heavy part of ceiling coming loose and heading toward the other man.

Patrick yelled in anguish and then nothing. An eerie silence filled the air and there was nothing from the older man.

Maxine watched the scene helplessly as Dodger held her in his arms. She despised him but getting smashed by a ceiling wasn't exactly a good way to go either.

The silence was interrupted by sirens of ambulances, fire trucks and coppers.

"It's okay Max….it's all over…." Dodger promised.

The door was broken door by firemen who were relieved to find some survivors at least considering how demolished the building was. "Come on, let's get you two out of here" One of them said heroically.

A while later, Dodger and Maxine were standing outside watching everything happen including Patrick being wheeled out, not dead but not fully alive either.

"So all of this is over?" Maxine asked, the siren lights flashing on her face.

"Yes" Dodger said as he held her closer. "And he'll never hurt us again"

A car pulled up and Dennis, Nancy, Darren, Dirk and Sienna quickly emerged and were so happy to see the pair alive.

"I'm so happy you're okay Mark" Sienna said to her brother as the siblings hugged.

"Thanks for helping me find her" Dodger said with a grateful smile before turning his attention back to Maxine.

"We finally did it" He said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yeah" Maxine said with a small smile.

"Now all we can focus on is our wedding" Dodger said before kissing her quickly.

"Exactly" Maxine teased before wrapping her arms around her amazing soon to be hubby in a big hug. She had really been through hell and back to be happy but now it was finally happening. The couple later heard that Patrick was transported to a mental institution where he remained in a seemingly irreversible coma.

(_**Well that was a very happy bit toward the end lol. Do you guys want read about the usual pre wedding festivities such as the stag/hen night in this story or do you want me to cover it all in a sequel? Let me know)**_


End file.
